WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, D-Virginia, chairman, and Rep. Katie Porter, D-California, vice chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations, issued the following joint news release on Jan. 13, 2022: Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, and Rep. Katie Porter, the Subcommittee's Vice Chairwoman, sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) urging the agency to eliminate the massive backlog of approximately six million tax returns ahead of the more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement on Jan. 13, 2022: * * * Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled to reject the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) COVID-19 vaccine or test requirement for employers with 100 or more employees. "While I am relieved that the Supreme Court upheld the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) rule protecting health care workers more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. Don Beyer, D-Virginia, issued the following statement on Jan. 13, 2022: * * * Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), sponsor of H.R. 5746, issued the following statement today on the legislation, which was originally titled the NASA Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act before being modified in the House Rules Committee last night to serve as a legislative vehicle for the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. "Attacks on Americans' ability to exercise their right to vote are a major problem that Congress must solve, and I am committed more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. Gerald "Gerry" Connolly, D-Virginia, issued the following news on Jan. 13, 2022: Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) reintroduced the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act, a bill that would provide federal employees with a 5.1 percent pay increase in calendar year 2023. Connolly and Schatz previously introduced similar legislation in the 115th and 116th Congresses, as well as in the first session of the 117th Congres more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, ranking Republican member of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following news release: Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) led a letter signed by every Republican Committee Member demanding a hearing with U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to answer for his role in supporting and encouraging efforts to label concerned parents as domestic terrorists. The Members write in the letter: "According to emails obtained th more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, ranking Republican member of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement on Jan. 13, 2022: * * * Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) issued the following statement after the Supreme Court reinstated the stay of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) COVID-19 vaccination-and-testing mandate: "President Biden's authoritarian and unlawful vaccine mandate is the last thing our job creators and workers need more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Virginia, issued the following statement on Jan. 13, 2022: * * * Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Biden Administration's vaccine mandate imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration but allowed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services vaccine mandate on health care workers to remain in effect. "The Supreme Court was right to block President Biden's vaccine mandate on private employers. I wish it had  more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. David McKinley, R-West Virginia, issued the following news release on Jan. 13, 2022: Congressman David B. McKinley, P.E. (WV-01) voted to reject the attempted election power-grab by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats. Their extreme bill would dramatically weaken election security by removing common-sense voter ID provisions, leaving elections more susceptible to fraud. "At a time when the Biden Administration has failed to address the real concerns of Americans, like the 40 year-record high inflation rates, the more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger -- a former federal law enforcement officer -- this week helped lead a bipartisan effort to make critical, targeted investments in local police departments -- both in Virginia and across the United States. Spanberger helped introduce the Invest in Law Enforcement Act, which would make sure police officers in smaller communities and rural areas have the resources, recruiting tools, and training they need to keep more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Virginia, issued the following news release on Jan. 13, 2022: U.S. Representatives Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced the bipartisan Accelerating the Growth of Rural Innovation and Tourism Opportunities to Uphold Rural Industries and Sustainable Marketplaces (AGRITOURISM) Act. The bill would create an Office of Agritourism at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to serve as a dedicated voice for agritourism businesses in the federal government and to consolidate informa more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. Gerald "Gerry" Connolly, D-Virginia, issued the following news on Jan. 13, 2022: Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, and Rep. Katie Porter, the Subcommittee's Vice Chairwoman, sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) urging the agency to eliminate the massive backlog of approximately six million tax returns ahead of the 2022 tax season. In their letter, the Members implored the IRS to prioritize the returns of individuals with the lowest incomes who, without the more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, issued the following news release on Jan. 13, 2022: U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joined U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and a group of their Republican colleagues on a letter demanding answers from U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on reports that he played a key role in orchestrating a letter from the National School Board Association (NSBA) that called concerned parents "domestic terrorists." "Parents are not 'domestic terrorists' and it is more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, issued the following news release on Jan. 13, 2022: U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) reiterated his long-held commitment to protecting the filibuster and the input of the Senate minority. "In May 2010, just a month before he died, Senator Robert C. Byrd was asked by then-Chairman Chuck Schumer to testify about the filibuster before the Senate Rules Committee because of his 'unsurpassed knowledge' on the subject. Senator Byrd began by quoting James Madison. Madison said that the purpose  more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, issued the following news release on Jan. 13, 2022: U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) called on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reallocate COVID-19 treatments, such as monoclonal antibody treatments, to vulnerable populations. Senator Manchin said in part, "West Virginia is working overtime to contain the current Delta outbreak and anticipated Omicron surge, but we need the help and support of our federal partners. The continued shortages and recent changes made more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, issued the following news release on Jan. 13, 2022: U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $3,573,965 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to the Eastern West Virginia Community Action Agency to support affordable housing for West Virginia seniors. This funding will support 20 affordable rental units for high-need elderly households. "Older West Virginian more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, issued the following news release on Jan. 13, 2022: U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $55,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support three projects in Elkins, Princeton, and Shepherdstown. "West Virginia is rich with history and culture, and I believe it is important to keep our state's creative spirit and proud traditions alive. This funding will help us ac more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, issued the following news release on Jan. 13, 2022: U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $3,573,965 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to the Eastern West Virginia Community Action Agency to support affordable housing for West Virginia seniors. This funding will support 20 affordable rental units for high-need elderly households. "Ensuring quality, affordable housin more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, issued the following news release on Jan. 13, 2022: U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $55,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support three projects in Elkins, Princeton, and Shepherdstown. "West Virginia is home to many talented artists and musicians that proudly continue the rich, vibrant traditions of our state through their work. I am pleased the National Endowment for  more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) last night introduced the Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act, legislation based on U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger's Transparent Representation Upholding Service and Trust (TRUST) in Congress Act. This now-bicameral effort builds on Spanberger's longstanding push to prevent insider trading by Members of Congress, their spouses, and their dependent children. Spanberger's TRUST in Congress  more PR

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, issued the following statement: * * * U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement ahead of an expected vote this afternoon on S. 3436, a bill to require the imposition of sanctions with respect to entities responsible for the planning, construction, or operation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline: "The bellicose actions and rhetoric that we have seen from Vladimir Putin in recent months represent the latest in a long s more PR